Tuesday, March 15, 2016

PCG's Racist Coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

(May peace soon come to the Holy Land.)

PCG's coverage of the latest round of violence concerning the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that has so far killed 199 Palestinians and about 28 Israelis follows a simple script. One side is good. One side is bad, even "satanic". And because of British Israelism this has a nasty racist tinge since PCG (falsely) teaches that white Americans and British are the descendants of the biblical Israelites. PCG's predominantly white leaders think the Jews are white like themselves. This ignores how Israeli Jews may happen to view themselves. Consequently PCG's 1% support the (supposedly white) State of Israel for racist reasons.

Consequently when Israelis are killed it is mourned and condemned by PCG's leaders because they think they are white like (for the most part) themselves. But when Palestinians are killed it is rarely mentioned.One reading PCG's coverage of this topic may not know about the many Palestinians who have been killed since October 1, 2015 who were not committing any of these terrible stabbing attacks.

“It was the latest in a spate of stabbings, shootings and car-rammings
by Palestinians that has killed 27 Israelis and a U.S. citizen since
October. Israeli forces have killed at least 155 Palestinians, 101 of
them assailants according to authorities.
Most of the others [54 Palestinians] have died in violent protests.” (Reuters) ...

Israeli forces’ use of lethal violence to suppress anti-occupation
protests is barely mentioned. Reuters wrote that “most” of the other
Palestinian fatalities “died in violent protests”, which both removes
Israeli agency
and also manages to infer blame on the part of the protesters
themselves. (Ben White, The missing data on the Palestinian revolt, Middle East Monitor, February 5, 2016.)

So by February 5, 2016 about 54 Palestinians had been killed who were not on these terrible stabbing attacks and most of those 54 Palestinians were killed while attending protests. One would never know of such a thing paying attention to PCG's coverage of these events. The pain and suffering of the families and friends of these 54 Palestinians is ignored by PCG's leaders. (The death toll for the Palestinians is now 199.)

Furthermore some of the Palestinians killed appears to have been shot only after they were neutralized and were no longer a threat according to a report by the Israeli human rights organization B'Tselem. Deadly force appears to have been used when it was unnecessary.

Since October 2015 there have been dozens of assaults on civilians
and members of Israel’s security forces. These assaults have taken the
form of stabbings, car-rammings and gunfire in which Palestinians killed
16 civilians and three members of Israel’s security forces. Up to 11
December 2015, 71 of the assailants were shot dead by members of the
security forces or civilians.

This wave of violent assaults is appalling, and clearly Israel’s
security forces must protect the public and use the force necessary to
that end, as determined by the circumstances. The law on this matter is
also clear: shooting to kill is permissible only in cases that a person
poses mortal danger to others. However, in at least some of the cases,
firing at the assailants did not cease even after they no longer posed
any danger. Some were injured and lying motionless on the ground when
they were shot dead. In other cases, the very use of live gunfire seems
excessive. Some cases were summary executions, without the benefit of
law or trial. (B'Tselem, Unjustified use of lethal force and execution of Palestinians who stabbed or were suspected of attempted stabbings, December 16, 2015.)

PCG never talks about troubling matters such as this.

Shamefully but predictably PCG's racist coverage of the latest round of violence in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict continues unabated.

In this article Nagtegaal discusses the killing of Hadar Cohen, a 19 year old Israeli who had only just started being a security officer. Nagtegaal saw an ambulance that he later learned was heading for the scene of that violent attack. No doubt it must have been terrible and quite chilling to learn of that. But the high death toll for Palestinians is not mentioned. It seems to be unworthy of mention as far as PCG's 1% is concerned.

Brent Nagtegaal, The Battle Over The Bible's Place in Archaeology, The Trumpet Daily, March 7, 2016.

It is mentioned that he met with Dr. Eilat Mazar and that at present it is not known when they will be able to excavate again. In all this discussion the high death toll among the Palestinians is never mentioned.

***

On March 9, 2016 in another terrible act of this ongoing round of violence a US citizen and veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan, Taylor Force, was murdered by a Palestinian on a stabbing attack in Jaffa, Tel Aviv. His wife was also injured in the attack. With the lack of a political settlement, alas, more terrible violence such as that is bound to occur. Only a political settlement can end this terrible violence. We cannot wait for Christ to return. Political solutions need to be found now.

This terrible murder is mentioned by PCG's leaders afterwards.

***

Stephen Flurry, Only Germany Can ‘Save Europe’ and the Truth About the Palestinian ‘Peacemaker’, The Trumpet Daily, March 10, 2016, 0-15 minutes.

Here Stephen Flurry accuses Mahmoud Abbas of praising and encouraging the stabbing attacks that have occurred since October 2015. It is ignored that there is security coordination between the State of Israel and Fatah. Only recently has that been disrupted due to the widespread violence.

At one point Stephen Flurry says that the State of Israel used to be an ally of the United States insinuating that it is no longer an ally of the United States. That is nonsense. The US government supplies to the State of Israel the equivalent of $10.2 million in (mainly military) aid per day. The US government supplies 20% of Israel's military expenditure.

The United States currently underwrites 20 percent of Israel's military
budget through annual earmarks of $3.1 billion in weapons. (Josh Ruebner, "Military aid to Israel and US complicity", The Hill, November 9, 2015.)

How dare Stephen Flurry should say such a terribly misleading statement to insinuate that the State of Israel is no longer an ally of the United States. This allegation is clearly wrong. We deserve to have accurate information about world news not nonsensical hyperbole.

At one point Stephen Flurry insinuates that 100 million Muslims have a favorable opinion of ISIL and of violence. That is Islamophobic nonsense. Most Muslims hate ISIL.

And in all his vitriol there is no mention of the high death toll among Palestinians.

So 199 Palestinians get shot to death or otherwise die a violent death to the severe distress of their families and friends since October 1, 2015 and PCG's leaders seem to think that is not something worthy of mention.

If those 199 were Israeli Jews PCG's 1% would loudly proclaim that it is a sign that the end is coming and condemn such things most strongly. But they don't because Palestinians are not favored by PCG's leaders. This refusal to treat the lives of Israeli Jews and Palestinians equally is racist.

It is shameful and racist that PCG's leaders seem to view the lives of Palestinian people so cheaply.

Only a political solution can solve the current crisis in the Holy Land and bring peace to the Holy Land. Israelis and Palestinians deserve to live in peace and safety. May peace soon come to the Holy Land.

2 comments:

'It is shameful and racist that PCG's leaders seem to view the lives of Palestinian people so cheaply.'

Like the Twilight Zone movie, if a racist piece of crap like the author of the PCG article could be transported to Palestine (like the actor Vic Morrow was transported in the movie Twilight Zone to Vietnam) his opinion would soon change.

The Palestinian people who greeted their Israeli brothers in the 1940's into their country have now been decimated by the leadership of Ashkenazic Jews who are nothing but German colonialists.

Modern day Israel is an extension of American power in the middle east. The power of Israel is not of God but American imperialism.

What I will say is that the situation is very bad at present and that it is shameful (but completely predictable) that PCG chooses to ignore information that contradicts their dogmatic view of the terrible situation. It is wrong for them to value some lives more than others.

Actually the way PCG view Jews is quite harmful. PCG views them as fellow favored people instead of fellow human beings like ourselves. They are idealized in an unrealistic way that sets up followers to be disappointed when they see what they do not expect. Will the Armstrongite blame the Jewish person for disappointing his or her expectations that the Jewish person never asked of them in the first place?

This view Armstrongism has may leave some unprepared to accept that Jews are as beautiful, idealistic and flawed as anyone else. We should accept Jews as they are instead of imposing various Armstrongite dogmas upon them for our benefit and not theirs.

If You are new please read this

Hand in Hand for Syria

Keep Somalia's Remittances Open

I encourage readers to sign this petition from Oxfam calling upon the U.S. government to let the Somali diaspora continue to send remittance to their loved ones in Somalia.

Moves have been made to shut down such remittances from Somalis in America. Many Somalis need these remittances. The remittances to Somalia are larger than foreign aid contributions and are a lifeline to these people caught in trouble and turmoil.

It is true that HWA said that some Eastern European states would break away from Moscow's orbit and join the European Empire he said would arise at any moment. But he never talked of the Soviet Union collapsing. He did not teach that. Also he portrayed the rise of the European Empire to be far quicker then what has actually happened. In Mystery of the Ages Christ was supposed to return by 2005 at the most.

So assertions that the fall of the Berlin Wall somehow prove that HWA was right is just complete nonsense spread by people who, for whatever reason, are still in denial that HWA was a false prophet who merely talked out of his own "human reasoning".

Truth about Roderick C. Meredith

What sort of man is he? A man who could say things like this.

"Mr. Armstrong has reminded us again that we are to disfellowship any members who attend GTA's [Garner Ted Armstrong's] campaigns, church services or other meetings. Some of our weaker members apparently do not realize that this man is in direct rebellion against God and His government! We must not allow them, or ourselves, to rationalize about this matter, to try to "help the underdog," or in any other way lend support to one whose gross immorality, whose long standing "play acting" and hypocrisy, and whose direct insubordination to the Government of God has long been and is now a source of confusion and DIVISION among God's people. So, as per Mr. Armstrong's instruction, I charge and exhort every one of you faithful ministers of the living Christ to explain this in no uncertain terms to your members, to warn them about this cause of division and then to disfellowship any who consort with GTA or any of his fellows." (Roderick C. Meredith, Pastor's Report, May 21, 1979, pp. 1-2.)

David Robinson on Roderick C. Meredith

"During the ten years I have been an employee of the Worldwide Church, you have been poorly spoken of by most of the ministers and employees I have known. I vividly remember the absolute unbounded glee that was openly expressed by a good number of respected men in the church when you were first "shanghaied." [In 1972.] I could begin by naming names, which I am sure would shock you. I was one of the few who stood, where possible, for you. Your tenure as superintendent of ministers, as I believe the office was then called, was looked on as nightmarish. While you held office during the years of growth, most of those whom I know gave you very little credit for that growth. Almost everyone whom I know, whether they be former friends of yours, or continuing foes, recalls insensitive and terrible things you have done. Without exception, at least among my acquaintances, they all credit you with an unbridled lust for power and list you as one who is willing to pay the price of gaining that power, no matter what. I have, through many of the last few years, believed you had principles you would not violate. Many a man of experience in the church assured me of my error. Events have proven me wrong and them right. Mr. Armstrong has himself been widely quoted as saying of you that you were so righteous that you were so "righteous you were unrighteous." " (David Robinson, Herbert Armstrong's Tangled Web, Chapter 16, p. 207.)

Of course it is impossible for me to personally verify these assertions but people deserve to know what this knowledgeable man had to say about him.